Sunday, September 30, 2007
My dear mother-in-law had a special request. For buka she wanted to eat pasta - black pepper pasta to be exact. Ok. That sounds easy. She loved the Swensen's Black Pepper Pasta. So I thought, ok, bungkus one for the weekend to go. But there's a catch. She didn't want me to buy it(??) she wanted me to cook it. Ini test ke apa? So this not very Martha Stewart daughter in law did online research for yummy Black Pepper Pasta. - not easy to look for leh. But I discovered one thing, all the pasta had the same basic ingredients, garlic, olive oil, pasta, herbs. I had cooked Spaghetti Bolognaise with good reviews before, so I did my very 'terror' attempt to what I called 'campak-campak' cooking again where all the ingredients are just 'thrown' in the pan & you go by your instincts how much or how little salt, herbs or even sauce to put.
So after about 1 hr, it was a resounding success - the pasta looked edible. But wait, the true test awaits. So 7.00 pm hit the clock & my dear MIL had her first taste - 'hmmm..sedap Idah' (phew). Ok lah...dah pass.."Ok mummy, u nak makan apa lagi??" Action pulak menantu ni satu. Nanti dia suruh masak yg pelik-pelik baru padan muka!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Last Ramadhan we had a our own new personal 'addition' to the Jailani family. 1 year on, this Ramadhan, we got another new addition. Alhamdulillah....
Monday, September 24, 2007
Last Saturday we were invited by Shireen & Malique for Iftar at their abode. With kids & husband in tow we trooped down to the East, with donuts in hand to join other wonderful guests to a start of what would be an anticipated lovely evening. Met some familliar faces(always a welcome sight) & met others whom I've 'met' only in the virtual world. The kids especially had a lovely time & husbands too with their neverending 'serious' conversational discussions. Familiar acquiantances were established as they soon discovered that they were interconnected (apart by the wives friendship of course) or were once in the same course, NS dept or s'thing like that.
The food was sumptuous. Desserts was a great treat in the form of quiches, choco puffs, ice cream,donuts & fruits.
Thank you once again to the hostess with the mostess for a quiet but enjoyable evening of good food & good company.:)
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Its hard to believe that its already 11th of Ramadhan. Which means we have about 2 odd weeks before we celebrate the much-anticipated Aidilfitri. Alhamdulillah, Amirul have been diligently fulfilling his obligations as a Muslim boy by fasting from sun rise to sun set without much hitches except for the occasional, 'Ummi, mcm thirsty, lah' or 'Ummi the drinks looks good eh?'. Our everyday routine did not change much, we still manage to bring the kids out on the first Ramadhan weekend & it certainly helps a lot that the weather have been somewhat cool & forgiving.As for Hari Raya preparation goes, I do not suppose we have much left as all our 'bajus' have been collected & waiting patiently to be adorned. The hubster have also broken the rule of 'buying curtains & new bedsheets once in 2 yrs with the unexpected purchase of shantung bedsheet with matching curtain in olive green - I like.
I finally got the my accessory that I have been searching for high & low called the 'doko' - a long traditional vintage-like necklace which I got at quite a bargain. :))) from the Geylang Bazaar. Speaking of Bazaar, I don't think I would stroll down the vendor-laden streets anytime soon unless we are specifically looking for anything as the experience I had was enough to make me stay put. Only 3 words to sum everything up - heat,humidity, crowd - nuff said.
Now its time to start digging up those kuih raya recipes & bottles that have been sitting comfortably at the back of the store room.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The September 1 week holidays came & went by in a jiffy. Our initial plan was to stay put & just bring the kids out to places that they would have some fun in the sun. But plans are just plans and we had to amend it when my father-in-law's old slip-disc pain decided to pay him another visit. This time round it was worse & we had no choice but to go under the knife so that he would be able to walk & sit without feeling excruciating pain.So last week everyday, we travel from the West to the East with the kids to help him ease the pain & divert his attention to the antiques of the kids instead of focusing on his operation - a first for him. The operation was a sucess & now, 3 days after the op, he's able to sit without any help, as simple task that used to be a pain for him.
Everyday, the kids made the hospital their little comfortable, cosy, play area. Amirul has his TV & Amira gets to play with her Nani & Appa. It helps a lot that the stuff were very friendly & hospitable.
In between those days, we manage to squeeze in outings to the Library, IMM playground & Dempsey Hills while on our way from the hospital or in between lunch time, while the Appa gets his rest & sleep. They even caught the Hi5 Show which was conveniently located in the East too.
I should say it wasn't too bad because our wallets were kept intact from major damage & the kids get their time occupied with their loved ones.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Amirul & Amira met their fab 5 idols last Friday. The Hi5 Circus Stageshow was a good & fun show & I am not shy to admit it! They dance & sang, and did acrobatic stunts on a tight rope(fake ropelah!) and the kids had a swell time. I really felt that the 1 and a half hour show whizz by very very fast. We got the front row seats with Shireen & her kids,so Amirul get to gawk & sang with his Idol, Nathan up-close in the mosh pit. Amira on the other hand, had a little frightening encounter with Simon the clown as he got a wee bit too close to her & scared the wits out of her & she ended up wailing in my arms. For the rest of the show, she watched in the comfort of her seat while other kids dance & sing away.
Friday, September 07, 2007
We brought the kids down to Dempsey Hill as both parents had a craving for Ben & Jerry's ice-cream & smoothie. We love this quaint little outlet which also houses CA california, a deli that sells salads, sandwiches, soups and pastas.(note: its not Halal though :P)Most B&J's “scoop shops” can be identified by their cutesy decor, with cloudscapes, meadows and cow print murals decorating the walls. This outlet sports a different theme as it resembles an american ranch home rather than a café. Diners can choose to sit in different areas. for example, there is a loft area, a living room (that looks like central perk from friends!), kitchen, playroom, and even a cosy fireplace!
Food orders are placed fast-food style. You simply queue up at the counter and pick your choice of ice cream flavor, cone and yummy toppings. They even have a designated play area/room for kids so that us parents can enjoy the moment in 'peace'. :)
Thursday, September 06, 2007
One of things I truly love about IMM is that you can possibly get anything & everything under one roof. It helps that the parking is free, although the only grouse I have is that it is always so crowded everyday of the week - I mean what happen to leisure-relaxing-almost-empty weekday shopping time? I was also drawn & always make it a weekly place to go because of their indoor kids playground. It used to be situated on the third floor & since it is indoor, I can always sit in comfort while the kids run amok, tiring themselves out at the playground for hours. Since its renovation about 2-3 mths back, I can no longer enjoy such comfort as it has since been replaced by more commercial shops and the bad news is the kids playground have moved outdoors (groans...).On a brighter note though, they have enlarged the playkids area to include a wet-playground & koi ponds including an open bath-shower area for the kids(or adults) to rinse themselves. I guess its not too bad & of course it will always remain one of my favourite shopping malls more so now that Swenson's have opened anothet of its branch there.I managed to squeeze some time in between work & trips to the hospital & brought the kids there as promised to let them soak(pun intended) in the fun while the dad catch up on his much needed rest. Being a school holiday, even on a weekday, I did not expect the place to be quite deserted. There were kids everywhere but they(Amirul & Amira) manage to have enough fun without any major hitches for about an hour or so. I bought them next to try their hands in sand-art. Most of the time we would just pass by the kids art corner as we were always rushing for time, but this time round, I headed their requests. Although it was their first time, it was a fairly easy craft for them to do & both of them produced a multi-colored picture of 'sandy' Mr Bean in the end.
A sweet ending would be in the form of yummy donuts from the first floor atrium for this well-deserving mummy....:)
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Yes, we entered yet again another week of school holidays. Depending which side of the fence you're on, you would either be filled with excitement(note: kids, students, mummies on holidays too) or greet it with a slight enthusiasm (note: mums-at-home, part-time mum)scratching & cracking your heads thinking of ideas how to keep the kids occupied while at the same time trying to keep the hole in the pocket at its minimum damage. For me, I guess since its just 1 week the idea of having to continually think of places to go & things to do are not so bad compared to that of the June & Dec holidays. Moreover we are faced with the prospect of the looming CA assesments & exams once the new term starts. So we decided to stay put this holiday. Largely due to the coming anticipated Hari Raya budget to be put aside and also so that the hubster can focus on my daddy in law dearest who at the moment require some minor medical attention. That leaves me, the mummy of the duo-brood, making sure that they are not bored out of their wits that would potentially end up being a domestic 'whiny-annoying-rugrats'. I've stocked up on drawing & coloured papers, many multi-coloured markers that would make a colour-blind person see hues, books(mainly activity & craft book), play doughs & still in active search for clay so that they can make weird shapes that only they would know the significance of and only their mummy can deeply & genuinely apppreciate.
Yesterday, I brought them to the nearby Community library which is just a 5-min walk away to read & borrow some books to occupy their time. It was slightly drizzling and being a school holiday I expected the library to be filled with bored kids who run-around the quite library. But I was surprised to see it relatively empty apart from another young mother with 2 young sons who strangely enough makes intermittent noises every 5 minutes while being shushed by the library attendant. Since it is a community library, it is small compared to the normal library & only have children's books which suits us just fine. While Amira moves back to & fro for like a gazillion times for her Fairy & Princess books, Amirul have slowly built himself a healthy amount of general knowledge books mainly about who, what & whys - a very good reference for his never-ending bizarre questions. In the end, he borrowed abt 8 books of fun general knowledge & science facts about animals and nature (yes 8 instead of the normal four thanks to moi coisin, their Kakak Kikin :) and Amira got her (what else) Snow White & Beauty & The Beast hard cover book, which I believe would be for each of her 2 rabbits at home. And next would be what to plan for the next 4 days....